MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Senior
Evy Royther scored a pair of goals, junior
Christina DiFelice picked up a goal and an assist, and senior
Mary Rose Hazel added two assists as the Rhodes College field hockey team rolled past the DePauw University Tigers, 5-1, in first round action of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship.
For the Lynx field hockey squad, it was their first time hosting a NCAA event at Mason Field as they treated a big crowd on hand to a great showing, exploding for three unanswered goals in the second half to pull away for the win.
Rhodes moves to 16-5 overall and is now winners of seven straight games. They will quickly turnaround to face the defending National Champions, The College of New Jersey.
It did not take long for the Lynx to get on the board as Royther connected on two goals in the first seven minutes. Senior
Julie Hertzman assisted on the first goal in front of the net while DiFelice earned the assist almost a minute later on beautiful pass into the box. Rhodes was in total control early on as they looked extremely sharp on both ends of the field.
But the Tigers responded, getting one back from their big goal-scorer in Paige Berliner to cut the deficit to 2-1. Rhodes would out shoot DePauw, 8-4, in the half, but the Tigers were able to earn more penalty corners at 8-2. However, the Lynx defense, led by senior
Jordan Kugler, were able to consistently keep the Tigers out on their scoring opportunities.
In the second half, DePauw was knocking on the door as they looked to even the score, but sophomore
Laura Eckelkamp made huge saves to keep the score at 2-1.
The Rhodes offense was able to counter with a spurt of goals in the next five minutes, midway through the second half. Junior
Erin Best scored a backbreaking goal on the assist from Royther followed by goals from senior
Alex Friedman and DiFelice, both assisted by Hazel, to break open a close game and cruise to the 5-1 victory.
DePauw would end up outshooting Rhodes, 14-12, in the contest, but the brilliant defensive effort from Kugler, senior
Katie Johnson, junior
Kennedy Brislin, and sophomore
Morgan Woodrow, along with the goalkeeping of Eckelkamp, consistently frustrated the DePauw offensive front. Eckelkamp would finish with six saves in the match.
Royther moved her goal count to 15 on the year while DiFelice continued to up her single season mark with 19 as well as 11th assist of the season. Hazel also moved her assist total to 11 which ties her and DiFelice for the most assists in a single season. Friedman scored her eighth goal of the year while Best scored her third. Hertzman assisted on her eighth goal of the season.
For the Lynx, it is their first ever victory in the NCAA Championship on their third try. They prepare for the No. 2 team in the nation in The College of New Jersey. They will fly out to Ewing, N.J. for Saturday's matchup. The game is schedule to begin at 11 a.m. (ET).
